Meet our Seventeen Fitness Cover Stars!

Hey girls! Kim,Seventeen's Health Editor, here. Have you checked out the special fitness section in the August issue yet? If so, you're probably already feeling crazy levels of inspired by our three amazing cover stars, and if not, you're going to be running to read about them once I share a bit of their stories here. Seriously! They are my own personal superheroes—healthy, beautiful, smart, and confident beyond belief, and all because they had the courage (and the patience!) to change their eating and exercise habits in a way that lasts. That's what made them cover-worthy in our book!

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See, as the health editor, I hear from lots of girls who want to lose weight, and so many of them want to know tips and tricks that will get them there fast—too fast. Sadly, nothing that's "instant" works in the long run, and I know it because I hear about what's behind your success stories (and failures too). And while change never happens overnight, the good news is that the girls who write in with the most amazing transformations (like these three girls here!) have a few secrets to success that you can steal...

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1. They set small goal after small goal after small goal. Sure, they had an endpoint in mind—for Melissa it was a triathlon, for Christine it was making the soccer team, and for Jane it was getting to a healthy weight—but they all learned to use little successes to keep them going on their way there. (In other words: If you say "I'm going to lose weight by next week," you'll probably end up disappointed, but if you say "I'm going to work out three times this week," you're more likely to do it—and psyche yourself up for the next challenge!)

2. They made exercise FUN. I know, I know—you're thinking, "Exercise can be fun?" YES! Melissa teamed up with her sister to train for a race that she said was a blast; Christine got her workouts in by practing a sport she absolutely loves (with a group of awesome girls); and Jane's best friends took turns walking next to her so that they could talk their way through a long workout. ("It was even better than an iPod!" she says.)

3. They didn't try crazy diets. For all three girls, eating healthy wasn't about cutting out certain foods or counting calories—it was about watching portion sizes and making simple swaps that still kept them kept them full, satisfied, and energized. (Think: grilled chicken sandwich instead of fried; veggie pizza instead of pepperoni; whole-wheat bread and pasta instead of white; skim milk instead of whole milk.)

So what do you think? Are you willing to give these tips a try? Sound off below!

(Oh, and if YOU have your own success story to share, I'd LOVE to hear it! We're always looking for inspirational girls to feature in the mag. Tell me about it here.)